After working in Palm Springs at a ranch resort as part of my degree, I couldn’t wait to take the kids there to experience it and also see a bit more of the incredible California coast. We visited San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco before having children so this wasn’t included in our itinerary this time but there are plenty of fun things in all three cities to keep children entertained. We decided to take things at a slower pace and spend a little longer travelling up the coast although many people do the LA – San Fran route in a few days. Combining the magic of Disney, the adventure and thrill of California’s National and State Parks and the good time vibe of California’s beaches, it was an epic trip.
Our 2-week itinerary– Palm Springs – Disneyland – Santa Barbara – Pismo Beach – Monterey – Santa Cruz
When to visit
We decided to visit at Easter as flights and accommodation are a lot cheaper than during the summer holidays. Spring temperatures are also perfect for combining beaches, deserts and hiking.
How to get there
We flew into Los Angeles and out of San Francisco as these are the most frequent and reasonable flight routes from the UK. You can also get connecting flights into Palm Springs if you want to avoid the 2-3hr drive from LAX airport.
3 nights in Palm Springs
After working in Palm Springs for 6 months, we were so excited to go back there and show the kids all the cool places we visited. Surrounded by the breath-taking snow-capped San Jacinto mountain range and desert dotted with cactuses and palm trees, chilling by the pool couldn’t get more scenic.
Waking up early with jet lag, we headed out for a hike before the dessert temperatures became too unbearable. Tahquitz Canyon is a beautiful area to visit within the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation and just a short drive from the centre of Palm Springs. With rocky pathways and huge boulders leading up to the spectacular Tahquitz Falls, a 60 foot waterfall, this 1.8 mile trail is perfect for kids. We dipped our feet in the waters but in April it was pretty chilly. After working up an appetite, it was time for that all American breakfast. The portions were pretty crazy but we did a good job of getting through it. We stopped at Elmers Diner and tucked into pancakes, eggs, sausages, hash browns and lashings of maple syrup.
Indian Canyons, also part of the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation have some wonderful trails. We stopped at Palm Canyon and walked around the footpaths leading down into the canyon. The beautiful California Fan Palms offer a shaded oasis from the scorching sun and baren desert landscape. Another fantastic way to experience the Canyons is on horseback. Check out Smoke Tree Stables for guided tours.
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
This is a must do when visiting the area during the winter – the views across the valley from this rotating tramway are spectacular. It’s pretty cool how you board in 20-30c desert heat and within ten minutes you’re at the top where it is a winter wonderland and you’re drinking hot chocolate in freezing temperatures. Mt. San Jacinto State Park has some stunning hiking trails and shorter ones ideal for families.
Downtown Palm Springs comes alive on a Thursday with the VillageFest. This market full of crafts, food, music and pony rides has a great atmosphere – The kids loved it.
A few restaurants we all loved:
Ruby’s Diner – The thick black cherry milkshakes are the best!
Las Casuelas – Great Mexican food and live music.
Joshua Tree National Park
We didn’t visit with the kids as we didn’t have enough time on this trip but from our previous visit, we know they would’ve loved the cool out of this world landscape with boulders to climb. Like all of America’s national parks, there are clear, well-marked trails of different lengths to suit various abilities.
2 nights in Disneyland
Sad to leave the desert but ready for the next adventure, we made our way to Disneyland Anaheim bright and early. We booked a room for two nights at the Best Western Plus Anaheim Inn. A fairly basic room and breakfast but the location is fantastic – literally right opposite the entrance to the park. You’ll be grateful for this after a long day in this huge theme park.
Starting in Disneyland, we queued for lots of the classic rides like Peter Pan’s Flight and Indiana Jones Adventure. The Pirates of the Caribbean ride is really cool and if we had visited a few weeks later Johnny Depp may have jumped out to surprise us.
We spent the second day at Disney California Park and got there when the gates opened to beat the crowds. This park felt far more mellow than Disneyland Park and the crowds were fewer throughout the day. Full of favourite Disney themes and more modern Pixar characters, we actually preferred this park. We stayed for the evening water and light show on the lake which was fantastic.
2 nights in Santa Barbara
Paradise Cove Café, Malibu is a nice place to break up the journey from Anaheim to Santa Barbara. The food is decent and portions are huge. The cobb salad was the size of something you would see on a buffet table so ideal to share. The beach location is the highlight though – on a previous stop here we were lucky enough to see dolphins on the horizon.
We stayed at the Ramada Santa Barbara on the outskirts of the city. Accommodation isn’t cheap in downtown Santa Barbara so we opted for this hotel and it was great for the price. With an outdoor pool and hot tub, pretty ponds with ducks and a waffle machine for breakfast, it did the job.
With only one day in Santa Barbara we spent the morning having a wander around downtown, followed by a whale watching trip and some time on the beach. This coastal city has a lovely sophisticated feel to it with Spanish architecture and a beautiful mountain backdrop. We walked around the shops of downtown and then climbed up the steps of the Santa Barbara County Courthouse to the watchtower where you’ll have 360-degree views of the city. My husband is a fan of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives so we picked up some yummy sandwiches for the boat trip from Norton’s Deli.
We booked a 2.5 hour boat trip with Condor Express which departed from the harbour. From here you can also walk over to the beach and wharf. The guides were so friendly and informative and we managed to see several humpback whales. Watching the mother and calf swimming close to our boat was an amazing sight. Afterwards we had a walk along the palm tree lined beach and to the wharf for an ice cream.
2 nights in Pismo Beach/San Luis Obispo
Pismo beach was a bit disappointing after visiting other iconic Cali beaches. It may not have helped that there were building works going on and the weather was a bit ropey. Our hotel was awesome though. We booked 2 nights at the Inn at the Cove – a bit pricier than our other accommodations but worth every penny. It is located right on the seafront and from our balcony we could sit out with the binoculars provided and watch the whales and dolphins. With a bit of jet lag still going on, I was happy to be up for sunrise and just sit out there on my own – a lovely experience. It also had a hot tub and pool which was great.
San Luis Obispo is only 15 minutes’ drive inland. We spent the afternoon wandering around this low key but pretty cool town. It has a very polished feel but also a young, student vibe going on. The mission is worth a visit along with the “Tequski’ wa Suwa” (Bear & Child) sculpture outside. The kids loved stopping at Doc Burnstein’s Ice Cream Lab where you’ll find all sorts of creative combinations – be prepared to spend a while choosing though.
We had two lovely meals whilst staying here:
Kanpai Sushi Restaurant – lovely sushi, ramen and kids bento boxes
Shell Beach Brewhouse – Tasty burgers, reasonable kids meals and a good choice of craft beers.
Montaña de Oro State Park
Whilst staying in Pismo Beach, we also spent a few hours at the Montaña de Oro State Park. With rugged cliffs, sandy beaches and huge sand dunes, it’s a beautiful spot for hiking and there are shorter trails perfect for families. It started off a little wet and dreary but soon the sun broke through the clouds into a hot, sunny day so we could play on the beach.
Cambria
Due to landslides earlier on in the year, a part of the highway 1 was closed so we had to take the less scenic highway 101 and then head back down highway 1 from Monterey to experience the Big Sur. We were able to travel up from Pismo Beach as far as Cambria on the Highway 1 and then cut across Highway 46. This is a good option if highway 1 is restricted which happens frequently.
Cambria was a perfect place to stop for a couple of hours to break up the journey to Monterey. You can walk along the wooden boardwalk that runs along the coast and stop at the lookouts to watching the crashing waves. In April it was covered in a blanket of wildflowers. The town is pretty much one street running parallel to the coastline crammed with cafes and quirky, vintage shops. My son picked up some cool, old number plates for his room. We stopped at Sandy’s Deli for lunch and the sandwiches and smoothies were something special – the Big Sur Tuna and Avocado was so tasty.
3 nights in the Monterey area
As we were keen to visit the Pinnacles National Park as well as the coastal area around Monterey, Pine Canyon Ranch was in an ideal location and great fun for the kids. The accommodation is homely and comfortable and the views across Salinas at night are amazing. The owners took us to meet the horses, brush the sheep and collect some eggs for breakfast. They also have a little display on the history of the ranch and life growing up there. The kids loved listening to their stories of bears and rattle snakes. Check it out here if you fancy something a bit different.
Big sur landslide
Big Sur and Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
We spent half a day visiting this beautiful reserve which has wonderful trails through forest and rocky cliffs down on to sheltered coves with turquoise waters. The reserve is home to lots of wildlife including seals, otters and whales. It was great to sit and eat our picnic watching the seals playing on the beach. The Whalers Cabin Museum was also interesting.
In the afternoon we took the iconic highway 1 down to Bixby Bridge to experience part of one of the world’s most scenic driving routes. Where the rugged mountains meet the ocean and stunning views for miles ahead, it’s a pretty spectacular drive not to be missed.
Pinnacles National Park
We got here really early as we had read that the car parks fill up quickly but considering it is now a national park, the trails didn’t feel crowded at all (we happened to be visiting on Easter Sunday so maybe that explained it). Formed from an ancient volcano, the park has a dramatic landscape full of cliffs, caves and huge rocky spires. The park is split into two areas with east and west entrances and you can only hike between the two. Visiting from the coast, the west gate is only 45 minutes’ drive away. There are many exciting trails to choose from but we opted for the Balconies Cliffs-Cave loop which is just 2.4 miles long. It involved plenty of adventure with boulders to scramble over and getting our headtorches on for climbing through the talus cave. Watching the rock climbers at Machete Ridge was pretty cool too. We were also lucky enough to see one of the resident condors soaring above us.
Monterey Aquarium
Monterey Aquarium is one of the best aquariums we’ve visited. You can easily spend most of the day here exploring the different sections. The kids loved touching the beautiful stingrays and there were regular screenings in the auditorium on different topics. The tentacles section had the most fascinating octopus and squid and the jellyfish were very impressive. The incredible shoals of shimmering sardines were mesmerizing too.
2 nights in Santa Cruz
I was really keen to see the incredible California Redwoods but with distances in mind and not wanting the children to be in the car for too long, we found the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park which is just outside of Santa Cruz. You will be wowed by these stunning trees towering above you. The tallest tree in the park is approximately 277 feet tall, about 16 feet wide, and around 1,500 years old. There is a visitor centre with activities about the animals found in the park and the guides are really enthusiastic and knowledgeable. We did the short 0.8 mile loop and climbed inside the famous Freemont tree. Situated next to the park, the Roaring Camp is a must visit for families. Climbing up to Bear Mountain through the redwood groves on a narrow-gauge steam train was great fun and the children loved walking through the forest with the guide in search of giant banana slugs. The camp is set out as an 1880s town and you can pick up a hot dog or churros here or enjoy the picnic area.
The kids loved Santa Cruz boardwalk with its old-school American style. The oldest beachfront amusement park on the West Coast and home to the famous 1924 wooden rollercoaster, it’s a fun place to spend a couple of hours. Home time was approaching and feeling the breeze as we flew over the ocean below on the Sea Swings, evoked a feeling of sadness that our epic trip was nearly over. The California coast is undoubtedly a fabulous place to be.
Packed up and ready to head to the airport we stopped at Zachary’s for one last breakfast of pancakes and maple syrup – delicious!
Año Nuevo State Park
As our flight wasn’t until the evening we stopped off at Año Nuevo State Park. It’s a beautiful place for a walk, with wooden paths through forest and dunes, down to the beach. During the spring, elephant seals come ashore to shed their fur. There were hundreds of them basking in the sun and the kids thought the bulls fighting was hilarious. The ranger led tours take you on a 3.5 mile round trip.
Itinerary add-ons:
If it’s your first trip to California you’ll want to include some of the following places in your itinerary. If you’re happy to have longer driving times between each place you could reduce the number of nights travelling up the coast or time permitting extend the total trip duration.
LA area –
- Orange County Beaches -Visit both Newport Beach and Huntington Beach to experience a surfer heaven with pristine, white sands, huge waves and the best sunsets.
- Santa Monica – A welcome retreat from the bustling city vibe of LA. the long, wide sandy beach, pier with its famous Ferris wheel and relaxed town are great for a wander. A great family base for exploring LA.
- Venice Beach – You can stroll, skate or cycle along the boardwalk of this boho town and the people watching will keep you entertained for miles.
- Hollywood – We did a hop on hop off tour around the sights of Hollywood taking in the Walk of Fame and stopping in Beverley Hills for lunch. A great way to keep kids entertained.
San Francisco – Kids will love jumping on the cable cars, the noisy sea lions at Fisherman’s Wharf and a trip to infamous Alcatraz.
San Diego – Kids will love the Southern Cali beaches as well as the brilliant Balboa Park and Zoo.
Yosemite National Park – Awe-inspiring trails through valleys, lakes and meadows and towering granite rocks with flowing waterfalls, it’s a magical place. Around 4 hours drive from Monterey or San Francisco and worth spending a couple of nights here. We visited for the day from San Francisco on a previous trip and wished we had longer.
Fam Full of Wanderlust 